Hell, at one point I was down to random loose change and had to call in sick the day before payday because I didn't have enough money to put gas in the car to get to work. (But at least I had a job!!!)

"...The myth of choice is a response to society's cognitive dissonance - the disconnect between the success we believe is possible and the existence of homelessness. We, as a society, want to believe ourselves to be a kind and just people who respect the value of fairness. We want to believe that all we have created has been won by our hands alone, and that our society allows for those with less than us to better themselves through hard work. This is the premise of our country, the premise of the "American Dream." It is simply too much for us, as a society to believe that the American Dream might be flawed, or, for some, potentially impossible to accomplish. The presence of homelessness in our society does not easily fit with society's belief in the American Dream. It is incomprehensible, as we go about our daily lives, to drive casually by, or step over individuals without food or shelter. It is impossible to believe that our communities create and allow for such disparity. And yet, these incomprehensibilities are a part of the daily experience of millions of Americans. The myth of choice soothes society's cognitive dissonance."

I think the last line bears repeating: The myth of choice soothes society's cognitive dissonance.

Additionally, along these lines, I remember watching some show on TV last year...."The Tribes" or something? It was where they took some native peoples from a very remote place (island?) and had them stay with different families in the U.S.I think it was in the NYC segment where one of the native person saw a homeless man on the streets and said: "Nobody loves him."

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